No summer recess for Indianola athletes

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer.(Photo: MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD)Buy Photo

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Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes do leg lifts during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola students run sprints during a morning workout on June 27. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD photos

Indianola students run sprints during a morning workout on June 27. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes do jumping jacks during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

Indianola High School athletes run an agility drill during a June 27 morning workout. A new early-morning fitness program at Indianola High School is designed to help students improve strength and agility during the summer. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD

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“It has improved me. I have more muscle on me and I’m just healthier,” Belt said.

While West also serves as an assistant football coach at Indianola, he emphasized that the conditioning program is intended to aid the fitness of all prep athletes at the school.

“My goal is to do all sports,” West said. “I want to make sure that I’m there for all the coaches and make them better, stronger and faster athletes so that they can coach their sport and not have to worry about that in-season.”

This past winter, the conditioning program began to focus on training for all athletic teams. West said participation has steadily grown since January when a core group of about 10 athletes worked out in the program.

The strength and conditioning coach said safety and supervision are central to the workouts.

“Every day we break down technique and make sure they have the proper form,” West said.

The coach said results are already visible from the Indianola training sessions.

“Records are being broken in the weight room from me just being there six months. … Kids are just taking to it,” West said.

Although Olympic-style weight lifting is one component of the program, increasing muscle mass is not the only area of emphasis. Drills also include work on speed, agility and reaction timing.

“The key is, I want to give them the experience of anything they’re going to see in a game,” West said.

West, who oversaw similar programs at Pella and Cedar Rapids Prairie before coming to Indianola, said his goals include continuing to increase participation as well as integration of the conditioning program with school’s various athletic teams.

“I think we can definitely keep growing. We have a lot of backing of coaches,” West said.